CARTHAGE, Mo. — Carthage remained unblemished at home after dropping the first set before rallying to beat Neosho 23-25, 25-13, 25-22, 19-25 and 15-12 in a five-set Central Ozark Conference thriller on Monday.
“We knew going in that Neosho is always a scrappy team,” Carthage coach Chloe Allmoslecher said. “They never give up and tonight, we knew it was going to be that way. Five sets later, here we are. Luckily, we came out on top. I think we could have stepped up in our service game. We missed a lot of serves tonight. In these five-set matches, it can get long and tiresome, but you can never let that be an excuse because the other team is playing five sets, too.”
The win, which also had district implications, is the Tigers’ third straight, all coming at home where CHS is 3-0. In total, Carthage is 7-4 on the season and 1-0 in conference play.
Neosho falls to 4-6 after losing its conference opener.
The opening set was a back-and-forth affair, with neither team taking much of an advantage until Carthage used a 7-2 spurt, including a three-point service run that included an ace from Sadie Comer, to build a 19-15 advantage
“We have just been a team that has struggled getting off to a good start,” Allmoslecher said of the first set getting away from the Tigers. “We have lost a lot of first sets, with the first 15 points kind of being where we struggle. We are still working on that, but as we turn the corner into the more competitive part of our schedule, we are going to have to figure that out.”
Neosho chipped away at the lead before ripping off six of the next seven points, ultimately taking a 24-22 lead on Rylyn Mortiz’s serve. After a sideout kill by Carthage’s Millie Templeman, Neosho’s Whitney Kivett ended the game, 25-23, with a kill of her own.
Carthage flipped the script in the second set, starting strong and not giving up the lead. The Tigers used a strong opening service from Riann Schwartz that saw an ace and a kill from Bella Coy for a 4-0 lead.
After a sideout kill from Neosho’s Taylor James, Carthage scored five of the next six points—two kills from Templeman as well as kills from Comer and Coy—to build a 10-3 lead.
“When you get a good start, get some momentum and get over that hump and not in a hole, it’s not as overwhelming,” Allmoslecher said of her team bouncing back in the second set. “I want our girls to realize how much having the momentum from the get-go can affect a set. We are getting there.”
Back to back aces from Comer later in the set built a 13-5 lead for the Tigers. Carthage put the finishing touches on the second set with six of the last seven points, including two aces from Ella Schwartz and two kills from Templeman.
Carthage was forced to rally from an early hole in the third set, as Neosho jumped out to a 7-3 advantage. Three straight kills from Ava Bourgault and an ace from Comer tied the set at 7-7.
The Tigers found themselves trailing 14-9 before scoring eight of the next nine points to take a 17-15 lead on service runs from Ella Schwartz and Comer. Bourgault and Templeman had kills, while Ella Schwartz had an ace.
Carthage pushed the third-set lead to five, 22-17, on a three-point run in service by Comer and ultimately put the third set away on a kill from Templeman.
“Coming from behind has actually been a huge hurdle that we have overcome,” Allmoslecher said. “This summer, it was a battle for us. If we were in a hole, we were going to lose the game. Battling back is actually our strong suit now. Our girls aren’t scared from being behind … they did a good job of fighting to win that set.”
In a tightly-contested fourth set, Neosho took the first advantage midway through after scoring eight of nine points, highlighted by a four-point service run by Audrey Sims, which included an ace and a block from Maddy Olson for a 21-14 lead.
Carthage used a sideout and four-point service run from Templeman that included an ace and two kills from Bourgault to trim the margin to 22-19 before Neosho forced a sideout and never relinquished service until finishing off the win. Moritz had a kill in the run and Olson finished the win with a kill.
Carthage took early control with a 4-1 lead in the fifth set off an ace from Riann Schwartz.
The Wildcats battled back to take a 5-4 lead on a three-point service run from Moritz, with Jazmyn Washington earning a block and Olson a kill.
Neosho cut the lead to 9-8 with a sideout kill from James before Comer earned a kill for a sideout in Carthage’s favor. Jaidyn Brunnert earned a kill before Comer aced to give the Tigers a 12-8 lead and the momentum.
A block from Neosho’s Lauren Sullivan was matched by a kill from Bourgault before she followed with an ace in service to put Carthage on top 14-9. Brunnert finished the match shortly after with a kill to seal the win.
“It was a really big win,” Allmoslecher said. “They are in our district and in our conference. We are also undefeated at home so far, so it is nice to have that confidence moving forward.”
UP NEXT
Carthage hosts Cassville on Tuesday.
Neosho hosts Diamond on Tuesday.
